How to pair maroon clowns

Yah I would like to find a mate for my GSM. She is still kinda a juve... the gold is just barely starting to show in her stripes. But I'm not sure if its a good idea. My GSM hates my hands and fingers in the tank... oops i mean... HER tank, even when I'm feeding... in between eatting she'll give me a couple nips. She will also attack my mag float when I clean the glass.

I'm kinda reluctant to try to add a mate. I'd hate to kill a fish.
 
Angelo, I think my situation is worse case senario.
I've had many clowns over the years, and this is by far the meanest one I've had.
Don't let my bad exp. keep you from trying, just use a specimen container.
I should have kept my eye on them longer.
I saw the male in the nem w/ the female and thought all was good, but I think she was still kinda waking up.
I got sidetracked w/ work calls and let my gaurd down, shoulda watched them longer so I could rescue like I did the first 3 times.
 
Oh I know.

Personally at this point... I'd rather add some other kind of fish than another GSM. I only got a 90g and once my GSM reaches full size... she's gonna be pretty big..... nevermind 2 of them.

But the info in this thread will surely help out anyone that wants to add a mate for their existing clown.
 
I happen to have a HUGE female, and I mean BIG, getting close to 5.5" and shes old. I would love to try to pair her, what do you folks think the odds would be. She is about 3x what a normal LFS would have size wise. She also has her 2 LTA that split a few months back.

As you see here, she is close to a full grown Regal Angle (she bites him now and then) and just behind a 13 year old yellow tang.

Aquarium-75TankInhabs.jpg



Here is a pic of my RBTA that will be going in my new 450 gallon along with the LTAs.

RBTA001.jpg


Anyhow, thoughts please, I have seen what a mad YSM can do and don't want to see it in my tank, she would kill a small one very quickly.
 
bottom one is a RBTA top ones are LTAs. Very orange foot on top ones stripes in it with minimul tenticles in the center. Classic LTA.
 
well, what are the odds of a large and old maroon pairing? Odds would be a bit worse I would guess? I know for sure a bit more dangerous. One good bite and she would kill a smaller/average size clown.

Heres another pic with her RIGHT NEXT to a full grown coral beauty, notice her size?

Aquarium-75-fullview.jpg
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9665552#post9665552 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mahlhavoc
well, what are the odds of a large and old maroon pairing? Odds would be a bit worse I would guess? I know for sure a bit more dangerous. One good bite and she would kill a smaller/average size clown.

Heres another pic with her RIGHT NEXT to a full grown coral beauty, notice her size?
Click to expand...

it will be tough but there is a chance a tiny maroon will be so intimidated he will submit and she will accept him they would make a cute couple.

i can not reccomend it, but i might try myself and just judge by her amount of aggression towards the new one while it is still in the specimin container
 
One last question, I have heard from some people that a female can go back male, I have read different and heard both. Is this at all true? Can a female go back to a male? My beliefe was always NO absolutly not, but I gotta ask the experts.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9665677#post9665677 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mahlhavoc
One last question, I have heard from some people that a female can go back male, I have read different and heard both. Is this at all true? Can a female go back to a male? My beliefe was always NO absolutly not, but I gotta ask the experts.
Click to expand...


ive been told No but im not sure why?
 
In Joyce Wilkerson's book she tells a story of an older larger GSM clown she paired with a tiny male. She said the little male was accepted instantly! I imagine that was in part due to the huge size difference that made it easier for her to trust him. IME as long as you actually have a true male/juvenile, the problem is not getting him to acquiesce and do the shiver dance, etc. - it's more a problem of convincing the female that she shouldn't kill him anyway.

I don't know what's possible given certain specific circumstances, but I can't imagine any female reverting to male in our captive tanks.
 
Great thread everyone! :)

I just bought a tiny (barely 1") GSM to pair with my 2 inch WSM. I'm using the specimen container method. We'll see how it goes!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9763193#post9763193 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tang Salad
Great thread everyone! :)

I just bought a tiny (barely 1") GSM to pair with my 2 inch WSM. I'm using the specimen container method. We'll see how it goes!
Click to expand...

good luck and take it slow. :)
 
So after day one, the female has definitely noticed the male. She goes over to the box about once/twice every hour or so to posture and nip at the box. The male just sits in there looking back, completely nonplussed.

The Specimen container is on the wall, about 10 inches from the female's 2 BTAs. I think it's not close enough. Tomorrow I'll probably put the container on the sand closer to the BTAs. Maybe 6" away or so.

I'm not sure if I'll try to catch the female to pull the GSMguy Switcheroo. I'm afraid I'd stress her too much during the catch. But it sounds like a good tactic.
 
Last edited:
Tang Salad,

If you don't want to catch her, just make a container with lots of holes big enough for him to swim into that she can't fit through. The key is for there to be lots of ways for him to get in as in eggcrate. You'd be surprised how big a fish can fit through eggcrate squares - but if he is too big, it'll take more work.

He can swim in and ot at will and will work things out with the female without you worrying if t's time to release him. Eventually they'll just be together and you can take the container out.

Problems can come if there's just one way in & out of his "safe-house". He may be too panicked to reach safety before she hurts him.

HTH
 
i wish we would have known all this awhile ago. let me tell you the story. we have a female that is about 3'' long. we have a 175g tank so she had her little spot on the right side of the talk and we put a little guy in that was about 1''. well she never liked him much but the talk is so big he just found an BTA on the left side, nothing was wrong with that but we decided to puy them in out small talk because the big maroon tries to kill any fish we put in the talk. we moved them to our small talk and she dose not like him. im thinking i should give him to my brother and get her a new boyfriend. do you think if they where on opposite sides of the tank for like a month they could both be girls by now? he is about 2'' now... so he might be a she i dont know! ;)
 
Do they interact at all? I would be surprised if this is enough space for 2 females to coexist peacefully, but life is full of the unexpected :D

Anyway if you could post their behavior it would help. Does she exact the 'quivering' behavior from him? Does she sort of nuzzle him on his cheek/side like she's going to bite him, but then doesn't? If so, it's likely he's a male. How long have they been together? Have you checked to see where they sleep at night?
 
Do you like how my wife spells tank with and "l" (talk) :) Well, the female is more like 4 inches long and the little male is more like and inch and a half. In the tank that they are in now, they have a huge sebae anemone and the female wont let the little one in it, when the little one tries to host the anemone, she comes over and shoves him out. He does the shivering thing but she still doesnt let him come in. so he just stays swimming on the outside of the anemone never touching it. They have been together in the 175 gallon for about a month, and they have been together in the smaller tank about 3 days. I just have a feeling that they will never pair up, maybe like the female isnt attracted to him or something. At first they both slept in the anemone, but now only the female sleeps in it. Thanx for your help!
 
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